Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75987 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether he has a policy on the area that Charter Trustees should cover.

Government policy is to work with local leaders to ensure ceremonial rights are maintained through local government reorganisation.

Charter trustees are one of the mechanisms available. Their role is simply to protect ceremonial rights and civic traditions, not to exercise wider powers. They may be established in unparished areas following the abolition of a council to ensure that historic property is maintained for an area where there is no parish or town council to take on those historic charters. Their area is therefore limited to the former chartered area.

Further detail on charter trustees and how they work is set out in the Charter Trustee Regulations 2009. We will continue to work with local councils throughout reorganisation to consider if these are an appropriate mechanism for each area at the appropriate time.